Community Broadband/Digital Equity Committee

Mission: Explore innovative strategies, deployments, broadband adoption initiatives, digital literacy strategies, business models and financing mechanisms for community wireless and wireline broadband projects that could serve as examples to other communities. Spearhead the nomination process and make recommendations to the board for annual Community Broadband Awards. Provide expertise, leadership, and guidance to the membership, board and staff on how to best represent the membership regarding community broadband and digital equity related policy and strategies.

Objectives:

• Inform NATOA members of key developments in community broadband and digital equity.

• Engage more NATOA members in the committee.

• Conduct Community Broadband and Digital Equity Awards nomination and selection process.

• Identify practical annual conference and e-NATOA topics for practitioners.

Accomplishments from 2023 Committee Report:

• Held monthly meetings to discuss current topics in community broadband, increasing monthly attendance.

• Discussed local government role in emerging Federal broadband programs, namely, ACP, BEAD and Broadband DATA mapping.

• Instituted new ‘Local CBDE Project of the Month” featuring discussion from members about local projects, including San Francisco affordable housing broadband project, Michigan legislative reforms, Austin/Travis County digital equity strategic planning and Carroll County Maryland broadband mapping.

• Successfully completed Community Broadband and Digital Equity Award selection process

Interested in joining? If you are seeking an opportunity to amplify your voice and are  passionate about community broadband and digital equity, we encourage you to join our committee! 

Join us!